COOL SH*T

Volume 229

David Attenborough’s Ibiza Residency.

I’m about to type a sentence I never thought I would say – David Attenborough wants to become the world’s next biggest dance music act. This is not a drill! David is looking for a DJ to turn recordings of sacred gamelan music he made in Bali 70 years ago into an absolute banger. He hopes the remixes will open up the world of Indonesian music to a wider audience. So, if you’ve got a Soundcloud account and know a thing or two about dance music, here’s the track for you to work your magic. The competition is open to anyone and will be judged by Sir David himself alongside a panel that includes the likes of Ghostpoet, Gilles Peterson and Hannah Peel. Even if you don’t enter, there’s still time to book your flight to Ibiza to see David at Amnesia this summer. DJ Attz is in the house!!

Squad Goals.

The Women’s World Cup squad was officially announced this week in an awesome and unique fashion. A series of individual celebrity messages were posted on Twitter letting players know one by one that they were on their way to France. Announcements came from the likes of Emma Watson, James Corden, and even the Duke of Cambridge! They certainly caused a stir on social media. England coach Phil Neville said he wanted each player to have a special moment when their name was revealed and to encourage global engagement with what’s set to be the biggest Women’s World Cup of all time. Watch all the clips here.

Pig DeMarco.

If you ever wanted to see Mac DeMarco submerging his head in a milk bath while wearing a latex mask, now’s your chance. Earlier this week DeMarco dropped a music video for new single ‘On the Square’. Directed by William Sipos and Sean Campos, the bizarre video features a lone man in a theatre watching a show where he sees himself as a grotesque pig laying bricks in an all-white room….. ok so you’re gonna have to watch it to understand what I mean, but even then, I’m not sure anyone really knows what’s going on here. The horror show / Doctor Who reminiscent visuals are a stark contrast to his ambient dream-pop sound to say the least. The track appears on his new album ‘Here Comes the Cowboy’ which landed today.

The million uses of a moped.

As someone who even finds cycling with one slightly heavy backpack a mighty challenge, I am astounded by this story. British photographer Jon Enoch has completed a project looking at the different way’s mopeds are utilised to transport goods in Vietnam. One guy is spotted carrying TEN barrels of water on his back, another balanced a mountain of ice packs, and one even attached what is basically an entire aquarium of LIVE fish to his bike. The project comes as it has just been announced that all motorbikes will be banned in Hanoi by 2019 to combat pollution in traffic jams. It remains to be seen what they’re going to use instead. Take a look at Jon’s work here.

You’ve been Pika'punked!

I’m not even ashamed to admit that I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Pikachu. He’s got a cute little face and not to mention that his yellow fur is SO on brand. Ahead of the launch of his new film Detective Pikachu on Friday, Ryan Reynolds tweeted what appeared to be a link to watch the entire movie for free. The world went mad (or maybe that was just me), but I and many others soon realised that it was all a hoax. The video actually shows one minute of the opening scene of the film followed an hour and a half of Pikachu dancing to hypnotic synth pop.

Anti-Happy Meals.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love a big brand rivalry. They’re hilarious to follow. This time Burger King have taken a dig at the iconic McDonalds Happy Meal, but for once there’s actually a good cause behind it. In collaboration with Mental Health America, Burger King has introduced a range of what it calls Real Meals to show that the restaurant “understands that no one is happy all the time”. Options include the Pissed Meal, the Blue Meal and the YAAAS Meal at selected stories in the US, as Burger King are asking guests to order a Whopper meal based on however they might be feeling. Who’s with me for a ‘need a week of sleep’ meal?